The role of the mobile terminal in today's communications networks is rapidly becoming more and more integrated with the Internet model, as the mobile terminal adapts to user's demands for added functionality. The mobile terminal, for example, has evolved from a simple device offering voice only capability to a device fully capable of browsing the Internet and providing rich content communication to include voice, data, imaging, video, etc.
Many communication methods with mobile terminals currently require active user intervention. Specifically, today's mobile terminals essentially allow contact with the user of the mobile terminals through the use of voice or data calls, or through the use of various messaging technologies such as the Short Messaging Service (SMS) and Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), each of which substantially requiring attention that is directly controlled and monitored by the user of the mobile terminal.
Generally speaking, user intervention is also required in order to obtain content from a personal communication terminal that may be of interest to other users operating within the network. In many cases, the problem is not that the user of the mobile terminal is unwilling to share content contained within the mobile terminal. The problem is, rather, that the user simply may not possess the knowledge that is necessary to make the content available. Such content may, nevertheless, be extremely useful to other users, if only they had access to it.
There exists, for example, a plethora of content contained within personal terminals that, to an increasing extent, could be made available to other users. For example, prior art mobile terminals having imaging capability, may have the ability to capture images that may be shared with others in the network. Additionally, prior art mobile terminals having proximity connection capability, such as through a Bluetooth or Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) connection, may access content that is contained within devices that are in proximity to the mobile terminal and may likewise share that content with others in the network. Conventional personal terminals, however, require the content to be manually provided to each and every user in the network that may be interested.
Accordingly, there is a need in the communications industry for a system and method that allows automated access to content, contained locally within a personal terminal, that is facilitated through a third party specification.